Half of Quebec teens say government isn’t doing enough for them, survey finds

Nearly half of Quebecers aged 12-17 believe the provincial government isn’t doing enough to address the needs of young people, according to a new survey published Tuesday by the Regroupement des maisons des jeunes du Québec (RMJQ).

“One year before the provincial elections, we strongly urge the government and opposition parties not to forget about teens,” said Nicholas Legault, executive director of the RMJQ, in a press release. “They are full citizens and must be considered as such in decisions that affect them. The future of our teens must be considered now.”

Young Quebecers see major gaps in how the province supports its youth, the survey finds, with over half of all respondents believing more effort needs to be made to prevent bullying, promote youth mental health and support educational success.

Students at Dawson College told CityNews those problems relate heavily to financial stress.

“I haven’t necessarily seen support for individualized youth who are struggling with mental health or education or finances. It’s more just kind of ‘you need to learn French,'” said Jack Schaffhauser, a student at Dawson College. “I don’t really see so much as a ‘I’m here for you’ kind of thing from them.”

Ginaluca Stoette, another student at Dawson College, said, “There’s definitely people I know that aren’t being treated the way they need to be treated, and the government just doesn’t do enough.” Before adding, “So, they have to decide, I can’t eat this month so I can afford my medications so I can pass my classes. That’s clearly to me a failure of our government.”

Even common stress-relievers — like sports — come with a hefty price tag.

“Just like if you wanna be part of a sports team, it’s like super expensive,” said Joakyim Benoît, a student at Dawson College.

Stoette added,” Our rugby team, it’s $400 in fees.  And you know, I can manage it. There’s a lot of kids that can. But if there’s kids whose families can’t cover that, I know kids who are paying for that themselves.”

The survey also revealed one-in-three Quebecers say they take a candidate’s commitments to youth into account when voting. That number rises to 38 per cent among parents and 41 per cent among 18- to 34-year-olds.

“Not only are citizens counting on (elected officials) to make decisions that take into account the interests of teenagers, but young people are too,” Legault said. “They are the voters of tomorrow, and we must give them all the tools they need to play this role eventually.”

According to the RMJQ, supporting the needs of young people has become difficult in the wake of underfunding youth centres (MDJs) that serve as social hubs where young people can seek support.

“They’re very afraid of the future. They’re afraid that they won’t be able to buy houses. They’re even afraid that they won’t be able to have an apartment,” said Joëlle Dorion, the executive director of Maison des Jeunes du Marigot.

“Everybody is kind of, getting very, working too much. Everybody is kind of exhausted of the work.”

The 251 MDJs of the RMJQ received an average funding of $184,284 in 2024-2025 for the overall cost of operations, while their actual needs amount to more than $736,177, according to the press release. That amounts to a funding gap of over $550,000 per centre, or nearly $139 million across the network — a shortfall the organization says is unsustainable.

Political analysts like Karim Boulos say that a feeling of frustration is growing amongst the youth — and that government policies haven’t kept pace with the urgency young people are feeling.

“Right now, the CAQ is struggling in the polls because there seems to be a disconnect between what Legault says he’s going to do to fix the economy, yet anybody who’s got a job and is sitting on pins and needles knows that the economy is not doing that well,” said Boulos.